A 2021 school’s admissions guide for Grades 1 and 8

The placement period for pupils in Grades 1 and 8 started at the beginning of this month. This will be running until the end of next month.

School admission is important for these two grades as it marks the beginning of a different school. This means placement is important.

Below are frequently asked questions regarding admissions for the 2021 school year.

How will I know that my child has been admitted into a school?

After the school has received the shortlist of pupils and they have processed the list, the next step is to notify the parent by SMS regarding which school they have been admitted to.

What happens if I don’t respond to the admission notification on time?

The Gauteng department of education is giving parents seven school days to respond to the admission notification SMS. If not, the parent forfeits the placement and the child will not be admitted into a school.

Parents also have an option to decline a placement offer.

Also Read: Grades 1 & 8 Gauteng parents have 7 days to accept or decline school placement offer

What do I do if my child is not admitted to any of the schools we applied for?

Parents were given an allowance to apply to up to five schools. This was to cover any issues with location of capacity pressures experienced by other schools.

Some schools are categorised under “High Pressure Schools” meaning they received more applications than what they have the capacity for.

For example, Alberton High can only take 210 pupils but received 2 414 applications.

In this case, special needs pupils and those geographically closer to the school will be given preference.

According to the regulations relating to the admission of pupils to public schools (Provincial Gazette No. 129), “If, at the end of the admission period, a pupil is refused admission to a school, the principal must inform the parent in writing of his or her rights of objection and appeal under these regulations.”

The key is to find out why the child was not admitted to the school. This reason will be provided, by the head of department, 21 school days after the placement period has closed.

If the pupil has still not been placed 30 days after the placement period is closed, the head of department will place the pupil at any other school that still has space.

Are admissions on a ‘first come first serve’ basis?

No. Many factors will be considered when considering applications, and when the application was submitted will not be one.